You’ve done your research, you’re ready to become a real estate investor, you’ve decided rental properties are the way you want to go, and now it’s time to buy one. But what are you looking for when you shop for your dream investment property? Maybe you know, maybe you kinda sorta know, or maybe you are clueless. Either way, I have you covered.

Here is a checklist guide of things you need to make sure you have checked out before you sign on the dotted line.

But first, to clarify, different investors have different criteria when they are shopping for a rental property. In any one of these checklist items, you may be looking for something different from what I mention or suggest. That’s OK. The way this list works is not to tell you specifically what…

Here's How to Capitalize on the Single-Family Rental Market

In case you have missed the current state of the single-family rental market, it is booming. More and more investors today are taking the step in the buy and hold direction and focusing their investments on rental properties. This can be attributed to how the rental market as a whole has shifted in the past decade. According to RentRange, a website that compiles data and analytics on rental markets across the United States, the current trends show a rise in rental demand for single family properties and rents increasing up to 6%. – From HousingWire

America's Most Competitive Renters: Why Many Are Choosing to Rent

Across the country’s largest markets, 13.8 percent of renters report…

You can’t just plunk down your credit card to buy a house. Here’s how to prepare for the purchase. If you’re thinking about buying a home in 2017, October to December is the perfect time to “warm up” for the house hunt so you can hit the ground running in the new year. And whether you’re looking in Athens, GA, or Athens, NY, the prep work is relatively the same. We’ve asked real estate and mortgage professionals to chime in about what prospective homebuyers should do to ready themselves for buying a home. From organizing your finances to save money to finding a real estate agent and mortgage lender, there is plenty to keep you busy! – From Trulia

Fall housing trends: What Will Happen to Home Prices and Mortgage Rates?

This fall, 2 factors…

How can real estate investors build more trust?

The biggest obstacle to doing more deals and reaching personal goals in this business is building and maintaining trust. Unfortunately, there is a lot of natural distrust out there. And perhaps there ought to be. Sometimes it can be challenging to find great real estate agents, investors, attorneys, and contractors.

The problem is that people would rather risk the penalties of not taking action than taking action and looking foolish. If you want to sign contracts with more motivated sellers, enter into more leases with qualified tenants, deal with cash buyers, and even attract the best investors and vendors, then you’ve got to build trust. Once you build trust and establish a good…

After over 30 years in real estate investing, I have to admit that getting that first property was absolutely the toughest.

Of course, it wasn’t just about being able to make the monthly payments. After all, while I had been saving up to buy my first property, I was still able to pay my rent. The toughest part, by far, was coming up with the actual down payment.

As many folks do nowadays, I graduated with student loan debt. I was also married with a child. And so, we moved in with family to save money while I studied to become an agent, as I wanted to actually get paid whenever I bought a property.

After two years of saving, we moved into an apartment. It was an affordable place, not the most I could afford, but it was the safest place to…

Find out why buying a home in Los Angeles is unique, with insider tips and advice from two LA locals.

Whether movie stars, traffic snarls, or juice bars come to mind when you think of Los Angeles, CA, the reality is, there’s a lot to love about living in the City of Angels. And LA lovers say it lives up to the hype.

“It’s such an amazing, collaborative city for independent artists and small business owners,” says lifestyle photographer Jeff Mindell, who has lived in Los Angeles with his wife for five years and hopes to buy his first home in the next several months. “You really can’t beat it. I wake up every day so happy to live here.” LA-based creative director Whitney Leigh Morris, who posts about living in a tiny Venice Beach cottage…

Selling your home can be especially challenging when your home is also your office. Make the process a breeze with these hacks.

The number of teleworkers (who are not self-employed) has grown enormously over the past several years. And it’s no wonder: Technology has made it even easier to work from just about anywhere, anytime (even in your pajamas if you want to). One added perk? That smug feeling of satisfaction you have when other people complain about traffic in Los Angeles, CA, or their commute times on the beltway into Washington, DC.

But working from home comes with its own set of challenges, and potentially a more formidable experience when selling your home. Working from a for-sale house means constant interruptions from real estate…

The key to success in an agent/client relationship? Take the time to research and interview some real estate agents before choosing the one who’s right for you.

Consider the real estate process: there’s time spent researching neighborhoods, searching for homes that match your budget (and your lifestyle), negotiations on price and repairs, the commitment level of making one of the biggest purchases of your life. Does going it alone sound scarier than entering a haunted house at midnight?

Fear not: homebuying doesn’t have to be. A great real estate agent can help you navigate every step, with advice and connections to make getting to the closing table that much easier. And especially in hot real estate markets like Boston, MA, and San Francisco,…

How To Sell A Tenant-Occupied Property!

You own the property, but tenants have rights too.

Scenario: You’re ready to give up on the landlord business, or maybe you just want to unload one of your investment properties. You own the apartment in Boston, MA, so you can sell it and move on, right?

It’s not always that easy.

Deciding to sell a house that someone else calls home — a tenant-occupied property — is much different from selling your old guitar online. Although you do own the place, as long as the tenant has paid rent, they have a right to live there.

Some tenants are terrific. They keep the home neat and clean and allow you to show it whenever you like. But others can be problematic, especially if they refuse to let you…

Don’t sabotage your home purchase by frustrating the seller with minor repairs.

Buying a home can be a precarious business. When money and emotions are involved, things can get dicey (and ugly). So when issues pop up during a home inspection or initial walk-through, it’s important to request some repairs — especially if they’re related to safety concerns or would cost a mint to fix once the property is yours. But when you’re bidding on a prime piece of real estate in a competitive market where multiple offers are the norm, choosing what repairs to ask for can become even more strategic. After all, requesting too many fix-ups could potentially tank the sale if there are less-high-maintenance offers waiting in the wings.

“There is no magic…